Goodyear Highway Hero: Military training helps trucker save a life

Tim Freiburger, David Webb and Chris Baker were finalists for the Goodyear Highway Hero award. Webb won the award, which was presented by Goodyear’s Gary Medalis.

A truck driver’s experience in the military and as a volunteer firefighter helped him save a fellow trucker’s life.

David Webb, a longtime truck driver from Billings, Mont., stopped an out-of-control dump truck and then performed CPR on an incapacitated driver this past June in Washington.

For his effort, he earned the 34th Goodyear Highway Hero award on Thursday, March 23 at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.

“David took immediate action to save a fellow truck driver and stop an out-of-control truck that could have injured others,” said Gary Medalis, marketing director for Goodyear. “For his quick thinking and courage, we are proud to name him our 34th Goodyear Highway Hero.”

David Webb and his wife, Carol Webb, were driving through northern Washington in June when they observed a dump truck swerve in the next lane.

“I was actually mad at him at first,” David said.

“We just thought he was a bad driver,” Carol recalled.

However, David soon saw the dump truck driver slumped over his steering wheel. As the dump truck slowed, David parked his own truck and ran after the still-moving vehicle.

He jumped onto the dump truck’s running board, opened the door, reached inside and applied the brakes, stopping the truck. As Carol called 911, David and a bystander pulled the driver out of the truck and performed CPR because he wasn’t breathing. A few minutes later, paramedics arrived and took the dump truck driver to the hospital.

The following day, the Webbs learned the driver awoke from a coma.

“It was a big relief,” David said of learning the dump truck driver lived. “We’re good friends now.”

David received combat life training while in the military, and he also learned life-saving skills as a firefighter.

As the Goodyear Highway Hero award winner, David received a ring, a $5,000 prize and a trophy.

“He’s still here. He’s still talking,” David said. “That’s all I ever needed – the hug I got from him.”

The other two finalists received a trophy and a cash prize.

Chris Baker, a trucker from Chicopee, Mass., was driving down a New Jersey highway when he spotted flickering lights ahead. Pulling closer to investigate, he found a minivan flipped over on its side. Flames erupted from the vehicle’s engine. Grabbing a fire extinguisher, he ran to the van and put out the fire. By then, the van’s passenger crawled to safety, but its unconscious driver remained inside the vehicle.

Working with a bystander, Baker unfastened the driver’s seat belt and pulled him from the van. The man survived without suffering any major injuries.

Tim Freiburger, a driver from Huntington, Ind., drove through Indiana when he witnessed a car lose control and drive into a creek, where it flipped and stopped upside down in the standing water. He raced to the car, which contained a mother and her three children.

Freiburger broke a window and pulled the children out of the car. He then returned to the car, ripped open the door and rescued the mother. The family members suffered only minor bruises in the incident.

Mark Schremmer, staff writer, joined Land Line in 2015. An award-winning journalist and former assistant news editor at The Topeka Capital-Journal, he brings fresh ideas, solid reporting skills, and more than 15 years of journalism experience to our staff. Mark is a graduate of Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kan.

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